


An injured bird

by Pearlislove



Series: Ymbryne stories [2]
Category: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children - Ransom Riggs
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family Drama, Gen, Major Character Injury, look all the kids feature ok?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-19
Updated: 2021-01-26
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:14:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 8,840
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27633254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pearlislove/pseuds/Pearlislove
Summary: They can't find her.The panic hits the group immediately, the aftermath of the battle they just fought - and won - still overwhelming. For the Ymbrynes, it seems to push them all over the edge. Beyond reason, they start screaming and shouting at each other - all of it collapsing due to one small practicality.Miss Wren is missing.
Series: Ymbryne stories [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2020474
Comments: 42
Kudos: 7





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Catkween27](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Catkween27/gifts).



> Alternate Universe? what the hell is that? No, but seriously - I'm plowing through the 5th book as I write this and this was sort of based around when they all went to Hope Well, New York, and then it took off in it's own direction from there. The setting is really mostly left up to the reader. 
> 
> If you like this, please check out my other Ymbryne centric stories by clicking on the 'series' link. 
> 
> Dedicated, with love, to an fellow Ymbryne lover.

They can't find her.

The panic hits the group immediately, the aftermath of the battle they just fought - and won - still overwhelming. For the Ymbrynes, it seems to push them all over the edge. Beyond reason, they start screaming and shouting at each other - all of it collapsing due to one small practicality.

_ Miss Wren is missing. _

The children stand to the side, looking at each other and the older women. Without Ymbryne guidance, they are not sure what to do, and their leaders' apparent lack of self control quickly becomes a concern in itself.

They're almost settled on interrupting, on trying to force some sense into the Ymbrynes whichever way they could, when the shouting stops. 

"Everyone spread out! We need to find her!"

Speaking next, Miss Cuckoo's clear cut plan of action seems to have won over whatever the other Ymbrynes had had to say.

"She has to be somewhere here" Miss Blackbird quickly supports her siblings order, turning to look over at the peculiar children. Her two normal eyes are closed, the third one spinning around in circles inside the socket.

If they had been uncertain before, they did not have to be asked again when the decision finally came. Like the rest of the Ymbryne sisters, Miss Peregrine included, they run off into the woods. 

_ She had to be somewhere. _

It's all Jacob can think of as he runs, the image of Miss Blackbird's spinning eye haunting him as he looked for any sign of the missing Ymbryne.

RaaaaWWWrrrooooaaaa

It's a unique sound, a combination of moose and bear, and he recognizes it immediately.

Grimbears.

The sounds come with the realization, that while there had been many casualties out in the field, none of them had been one of the gigantic bear creatures.  The grimbears, like their mistress, were missing in action. 

"Jacob! Did you hear it?" Emma comes from the left out of the woods, catching up with him on the narrow path through the trees. 

"The bears have her!" He answers, face grinning. It's a good sign - with the protection of the grimbears, not much could've happened to the Ymbryne.

"This way" She tugs at his arm, pulling him off the path and out into the forest on the opposite side of where she came from. "They're nearby!" She adds, excited as the sounds grow stronger.

But as they come closer, Jacob finds himself slowing down. A pain is blooming at the bottom of his stomach, and he knows what it is for.

"There's a hollow!" He screams as loud as he can, but it is too late.

By the time he has the sense to warn her, Emma has already gotten past the trees and out into the clearing on the other side. Once there, Jacob's scream is joined by her own as she sees the carnage that lies before them.  The massive bodies of several grim bears lay spread out across the small space, furr and parts from the animals strewn across the blood-soaked grass. In a corner, the massacred remains of a hollow rest against a tree trunk. It is dead, or thereabout, the pain in Jacob's guts fading rapidly.

It's black tears blend with the purple grimbear blood, and looking closer Jacob can tell it's had its eyes picked apart.

"She might be in bird form!" This time he alerts Emma immediately. She is already half-way across the battle scene, and her skin pale two shades at the news.

"We'll never find a tiny Wren amongst all this!" Emma worries, tripping over an invisible hollow leg and falling straight against one of the grimbear corpses.

Only, it's not a corpse, but a live cub that moans in pain as Emma hits against it. Carefully turning its head, it regards her for a second, before seemingly recognizing her face.  Slowly, it moves its legs and paws, unfurling itself to reveal what it was protecting.

Miss Wren is sitting slumped against its gigantic belly, unconscious or perhaps even dead. At that moment, it's hard to tell, her entire body drenched in the blood of the hollow and the grimbears and her eyes shut.

"Oh my god!" Emma rushes towards her, kneeling down by the woman's side. "Nonono" She thinks of the horror on the Ymbrynes faces as they realized their sister had been missing, and she pray that the woman would not be dead.

She didn't know what the other birds would do if she had died.

"How is she?" Jacob is quick to join, abandoning the already dead hollow to help Emma with Miss Wren. Seeing that she was not moving, he bent down to feel for a pulse himself. 

Taking a step back, Emma feels grateful as Jacob take control, waiting for him to break the news - whatever they were. 

"Jacob? Is she alive?"

He frowns, his fingers getting sticky from the liquids - hollow tears included - that coated her neck, but finally he finds a pulse. It's slow and quiet, but it's there. Miss Wren was alive.

"She got a pulse! She's alive" Jacob jumps back up on his feet, almost screaming as the relief washes over him. "We need to get the other Ymbrynes!"

"Too late" Emma replies, a shaky hand pointing across the clearing.

At the other end, Horace was leading the Ymbrynes out of the woods and straight towards them. Behind the women, the rest of their friends trailed behind.

"Miss Bloom! Mr Portman!" Miss Avocet is the first to speak to them, the old woman walking next to Horace with a small, black bird perched upon her shoulder. The bird had two regular eyes, which had closed, a third eye opened right on it's brow.

Miss Blackbird, now in her bird form.

"How is Balenciaga?" She goes on to ask, worry written out across her normally stoic face. Not even the fact that she accidentally used the woman's first name seemed to faze her, her anxiety overriding all else. "Is she hurt?"

Stepping aside, Jacob shook his head. "I don't know. I can't tell. But she's alive" 

Miss Avocet only nods grimly, attempting to approach her unconscious sister to check for herself. However, as she steps forward, the grimbear shifts and a large leg comes down between the two, efficiently blocking anyone from approaching Miss Wren.

The bird on her shoulder starts flapping its wings, but Miss Avocet places a shaking hand over it. "Bonnie, no" She says softly. 

Jacob swallows hard. He knows Miss Wren need the attention of her sisters, but his mind has come to a complete stand-still. He can't think anymore - it's all just blank.

"Jacob" Horace whispers, pulling at his arm. "Jacob, it's blind, and it smells hollow. It won't let them near because it thinks they are hollows" 

Jacob turning around, staring at the prophetic dreamer, it all suddenly made sense. Jacob's peculiarity was to protect others from hollowgasts - and the grimbear had known. It had let him close, but not the Ymbryne.

"What do I do?" Jacob whispered back, stressed. How would they make a grimbear change its mind?

"Let Miss Blackbird talk to it. She's in bird form, she can talk to him" Horace instructed, lifting his voice. "Miss Blackbird need to tell the grimbear that you can be trusted. That you killed hollows."

Hearing what he said, Miss Avocet glanced over at Miss Peregrine, clearly questioning whether to trust him.

"Do as he says Esmeralda" Miss Peregrine orders, her voice more self-assured than Jacob had heard it in a long time.

Miss Avocet nodded. She lifts the protective hand away from the bird on her shoulder, and allows it to fly over to the bear, landing next to its ear.

For a minute, she sits there and whispers. cawing words that only the grimbear understands. With every sound, it moves a little, eyelids fluttering and nose sniffing the air as it listens.

The rest of them are dead quiet. No one moves, or says a word, too afraid to jepordize the work the bird is doing.

What feels like an eternity later, Miss Blackbird leaves the grimbear's ear, and as she does, he moves his leg back to reveal Miss Wren once more.

As if on cue, the remaining Ymbrynes descend upon her, flocking to their injured bredren. Miss Cuckoo begins to pat her down, looking for injuries, while Miss Avocets kneel down and place her head in her lap.  Miss Peregrine is not far behind, stopping only to let the blackbird land on her shoulder before she too comes to look over her sister.

"What do we do now?" Emma ask quietly, looking at the other children uncertainly. 

"I don't think they'd want our help" Hugh say slowly.

"Horace can tell us how he knew how to make the grimbear like them" Enoch suggests, staring down at the younger boy. "What did you do?"

Once the subject is brought to their attention, the rest of the group turns to Horace too. 

The boy swallowed, clearly nervous to have all the attention put on him. "I had a dream" He admitted quietly. "It was through Jacob's eyes. I could see the hollow goo and hear the grimbear's thoughts"

Now, all eyes turned to Jacob. Unhappy, he pulled a face. "It's true. You're all covered in gunk." He admitted. "There's a dead hollow over there" He pointed across the clearing to where the remains of the monster lay. 

"Did...did it say anything about her...surviving?" Olive asks quietly, big green eyes staring at Horace. 

"And the poor grimbear!" Claire added, shuddering as the animals let out a pained sound. Biting her quivering lip, she grips onto Olive even tighter. "It sounds so sad"

Horace glanced over at Emma and Jacob, his eyes full of objective fear. "I have no idea!" He insisted, but the veil was paper thin. He knew, and he was not going to say.

"Miss Bronte! Over here, s'il vous plaît!" Miss Cuckoo calls out, calling out for someone to come.

Only, they can't tell who she wants. Jacob casts an eye at Bronwyn, but she seems oblivious, and he's not sure. So they stay where they are, glancing at one another and wondering who will go.

"Miss Bruntley!" Miss Peregrine's voice follows when nothing happens. In Miss Cuckoo's smooth French accent, Bruntley became  _ Bronte _ . "Come over here, now!" She orders, her voice sharp.

This time, Bronwyn doesn't wait, she runs. Straight for the Ymbrynes - and straight into Miss Cuckoo.

"Go there, mon petite cherie" She says sweetly, directing the girl around her, towards the bear, while she continues over to the rest of them. "Come now children. We've done all we can here. Let's go back" She suggests kindly.

"What about Miss Wren?" Noor questioned, looking back at the scene with trepidation. The gruesome sight makes her stomach flip. 

Enoch doesn't have any such hesitations. "I'm not going" He says, crossing his arms and taking a stance. "You can't make me"

The rest of the children gasped, and Miss Cuckoo's eyes narrowed considerably. "Can Miss Blackbird make you?" She asked, her voice loud and clear.

It's the first time Jacob has ever seen Enoch at a loss for words, and it's bad. Underneath the dirt, he thinks he might have gone a bit pale even.

"Yes" Finally, the quiet answer comes out, and Enoch turns to look at his friends. "We're leaving." He tell them, obviously entirely in the hands of Miss Cuckoo.

"But Miss Cuckoo, you still haven't said anything about Miss Wren" Claire protests, peeking out from behind Olive. "Is she okay?"

Miss Cuckoo looks at Claire with doubtful eyes, and the pause that follows is just a little too long to comfort.

"She will be fine"


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a little interlude thing-y. Very short. Longer chaoter coming up next I promise. Also some book 5 spoilers below because I need to get it out of my system.
> 
> The scene with Fiona is so god damn gruesome! Open her mouth and all the blood run out...I gagged like it was terrible. Omg.

Back at the "safe house", Miss Glassbill is waiting for them. She doesn't bat an eye at the state they're in, simply directing them to the showers and promising there would be fresh clothes and warm food when they were done. 

Then, she walks away without another word. Before they knew she was there, she'd gone again, leaving them to fend for themselves.

"No sense in dragging. Better just get to it" Enoch shrugged, heading in through the door that read 'Male and mixed'. 

"See you later Jacob" Emma and Noor bid him goodbye in unison, both heading in through the door marked "Female ONLY - if in doubt, see other door".

Looking around himself one more time, Jacob finally followed Hugh into the same door Enoch had gone, more than ready to get rid of the hollow-stench.

After the day they'd had, they could all use a bath.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A longer chapter this time. I won't be putting out 1 chapter/day forever, but for now I am. Enjoy!
> 
> Miss Glassbill's speech problems were inspiered by an apraxia of speech patient that I've been seeing in Clinic while out on work experince. Apraxia of speech mean that you do not have access to the formulas you need to plan out how to move your face and mouth muscles in order to produce the desired speech. This is an aquired injury most normally connected with strokes.

To her own surprise, Noor finds that she finishes washing up way ahead of the other girls. Rather than waiting for the others, she decides to go - once dressed, she leaves the room and goes down the corridors of the old house. Starting to follow some hand-written notes taped to the walls, she eventually makes it all the way down to the kitchen.

It smells of food and herbs and by the stove, a middle-aged woman is stirring a pot. It's the same woman that showed them the bathrooms, another of the bird women the others seemed to hold in such high regard.

Noor doesn't know her, but she's curious and wants to if she can. Maybe, she could learn a bit more about what these  _ Ymbrynes  _ actually were.

"Miss?" She creeps forward through the room slowly, quietly - not wanting to frighten the woman by making a lot of noise.

Despite these precausions, the woman startles badly when Noor comes to her. Letting out an almost in-human shriek, she jumps, the soup spoon flying away and landing on the floor along with its content. 

"Oh my god! I'm so sorry!" Noor apologized immediately, grabbing some paper and diving to the floor to clean up her mess. 

She's already cleaned up half the spill, maybe more, when she realizes something isn't quite right. She stops working, and she looks up at the woman she had scared.

She's starring down at Noor, eyes open, but her face is slack and she is not moving a muscle.

"Miss?" Noor asks again, standing up to get a better look. The woman - she's not sure what her name is - is tall and she struggles to reach up to her face, but she manages to reach enough to pass a hand back and forth over the lower part of her face. With her eyes to the floor, it should attract attention, but nothing happens. "Anyone in there?!"

Finally, her words seem to bring the woman alive. She blink, squinting against the brightness of the florescent lights and looking at her surroundings as though she doesn't recognize them. "Who spoke?" She asks, her eyes everywhere but on Noor.

"It was Miss Pradesh, Cathrine. She's right in front of you, dear sister" Miss Peregrine's voice comes floating through the room as she enters, now dressed in modern day clothing.

"Alma!" 'Cathrine' reacts in an instant, running to meet her sister at the door. "I'm sorry a...ma. It's...it's been ha…arder. After all that happened" She explains shakily, seemingly not quite finding the words. 

From being calm and collected when Noor first came in, the Ymbryne is now falling apart completely. 

"I'm sorry for scaring you" Noor apologized, going back to finish cleaning the mess on the floor once she knew she was taken care of by Miss Peregrine. "I only meant to say hi and check on dinner."

"It's not your fault, dear. Miss Glassbill has some...unique challenges. Which are not her fault either." Miss Peregrine explained kindly, coming over to Noor and picking the spoon off the floor. Carefully, she rinsed it under the tap. "All will be well, in the end."

Behind them, Miss Glassbill took a deep breath. "Alma, what about ba...ba..balen…" She struggles, the sounds not quite making it out of her mouth right. "Balenciaga"

Noor heard the name, and she at last realized what Miss Glassbill was asking. "How is Miss Wren?" She asks, almost certain that  _ Balenciaga  _ was what Miss Avocet called her before.

Miss Peregrine swallows, a look of hesitation swiping over her face. Clearly, it was not what she wanted to hear. "She is alive. It will have to do, for now" She informs the two. Gently, she put a hand on her sister's shoulder, squeezing it. "Cathrine, dear, don't you think it's time you take a pause?" She asks. "You know how you get when you exhaust yourself."

The woman nodded, leaning into the touch. "I know. It gets b..b...b...a..ba...d. Bad" She concludes, after another lengthy struggle to make the words come out right. That alone seemed to have taken the energy out of her, thus proving the point.

Alma nodded. "I will take care of my charges, and you go back to your room." She ordered, ushering the younger woman out of the room and closing the door behind her. She sighed.

"What's wrong? With Miss Glassbill." Noor asked her when she comes back, taking up stirring the pot. Noor watched the spoon move through the thick broth, around and around, almost hypnotized by the motion.

"You ask a lot of questions, Miss Pradesh." Miss Peregrine said, eyeing her critically. 

"Well no one tell me anything. Or the others" She challenged, not as afraid of the bird woman as the other children seemed to be. "If you don't want to talk about Miss Wren, you can at least tell me about Miss Glassbill."

Miss Peregrine sighed once more. Obviously, she found Noor to be bothersome with her questions and demands. The other children would bend to her will, Noor remained resistant - much like Jacob when he first came, she had not lived under her rule long enough to have learnt to submit.

"Every peculiar has something we refer to as a soul. It contains the essence of one's peculiarity. Losing it kills a peculiar, and it's what hollows eat." She began, ignoring Noor's shocked gasp as she continued. "There is also a way to manually drain it. That way it can be used as a drug for peculiars themselves. It enhances their abilities, but one becomes dependent. That is what happened to Miss Glassbill."

Noor frowned. "So she's a drug addict?" She asked, confused. She had a hard time understanding why she was looking after children and teenagers, if she was. "Can't you just detox them like normal people?"

Miss Peregrine shook her head. "You can detox them, but it's very hard and can be very harmful. More so than for regular humans." She explained. "However, Miss Glassbill is no drug addict. On the contrary, she had a part of her soul harvested to make such drugs. Normally, if not all is taken, it replenishes and the peculiar recover." 

"But not Miss Glassbill" Noor added, a bit embarrassed to have misunderstood the situation so severely.

Miss Peregrine shook her head sadly. "Technically, she has recovered just fine. She was much sicker when first tapped, and her powers were greatly diminished. However, all peculiars react differently to the procedure - she had a particularly bad reaction. There are some residual effects, mostly physical, which we believe to be permanent."

Noor nodded. She had finished drying the floor and cabinets and stood up, disposing of the papers in the trash bin. "Thanks for telling me. It means a lot" She said softly. Somehow, she got the feeling that this kind of honest conversation was a rarity for anyone to have with the normally so severe older woman.

Miss Peregrine didn't give that comment an answer, but the edges of her lips pulled to what might have been a smile. "Miss Pradesh, would you mind fetching the other children? It would seem dinner is ready."


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the 4th Chapter! Kind of a cliffhanger, but hopefully I'll follow it up with the next chapter soon enough!

Noor awakes with a starrel in the middle of the night. Something, a noise, seems to have disturbed her and she looked around her in confusion.

"Did you hear that too?" Emma looks at her from across the dark room, blue eyes glowing in the dark. 

"I did! What was it?" Noor asks, seeing the girl moving across the room towards her.

Quickly, Emma shysh her. "You have to be quiet!" She warns her as she climbs down into Noor's bed. "If we wake the young ones Miss Peregrine will never forgive us"

The noises come in from somewhere out the window again, and this time it is louder. It sounds high pitched and almost animalistic.

"It sounds like…" Emma begins, but doesn't finish as she's suddenly interrupted.

"Birds!" Noor said, but then she gets doubtful. "Well,  _ almost  _ like birds. It sounds sort of twisted." She admitted.

"I've never heard anything like it" Emma agreed, pushing open the window to look out into the night. "Want to go and check?" She asked, already out the window and down on the grass.

"But what about the little ones? Won't they be frightened if they wake up alone" Noor wondered as she followed Emma out the window and jumped down in the flower bed underneath.

"Miss Glassbill will care for them. Her speciality is young children." Emma told her, her voice overly soft. "Besides, they're over fourty years old, all of them. They can comfort themselves good enough"

"And what if the other bird took her with them?" Hugh asked, climbing out the window of the boy's room after Jacob. "Who knows where Miss Glassbill is. They haven't even returned Bronwyn yet!"

Noor hesitated. She could sense a conflict brewing, and she didn't like it. "I don't think they'd take her. She's ill." She argues.

"Sick? How?" Jacob follows out the window, immediately asking questions.

"From having her soul drained!" Emma told him, frowning. "Don't you remember? Noor is right. They would never risk bringing her for...whatever they are doing."

"Can we just go see what all the noise is?!" Hugh exclaimed, covering his ears as another screech tore through the air. "It freaks me out! 

Noor has already abandoned the conversation. She's around the corner, peeking at the main entrance to the house. A woman stands at the door, a bag in her hand. A bird sits on her shoulder, making it clear what she must be - another Ymbryne. 

As Noor stands and watches, the door opens and Miss Peregrine steps out, embracing the woman before inviting her and the bird on her shoulder in. It's impossible to hear what's being said, but the compassionate smiles of sympathy that they share say more than enough.

"They must be here for Miss Wren!" Jacob comments as he take a look for himself. "There is no other reason they'd call for more Ymbrynes"

"Do you know them?" Noor wondered, referring to those more experienced than her. The screeching they heard previously had died down, though it was still clear where it was coming from.

"Never seen them before" Hugh answers the question for Jacob, a few bees slipping out of his mouth as he opens it to speak.

The bees, seemingly, sensed the agitation in their master, and went straight for the kill. Before any of them had time to really react, they were upon the two new Ymbrynes, stinging them.

"Run!" Just like Noor had been first there, she was first out. She knew Miss Peregrine was clever enough to see the connection, and if she didn't watch out she'd be tried as guilty too.

She makes it to the window, scrambling to get up over the edge before falling down to the floor in the bedroom. She lands hard and painfully, her leg caught underneath her causing her to pause for a minute.

Still, pause or not, it was all too late.

"Miss Pradesh! Miss Bloom!" Miss Peregrine's voice is loud and sharp, her eyes shooting daggers at the two girls. "You're coming with me, now!" She points out the door, and wait for them to go.

Noor scrambles to her feet and runs. She has never seen Miss Peregrine so angry and knows they were in big trouble. Emma follows right behind, first having to finish climbing in the window before she can do as the headmistress said.

Out in the corridor, Jacob and Hugh are already waiting for them. A disheveled-looking Mss Glassbill - still dressed in her nightgown - guards them, one hand firmly gripping each of the boy's arms.

"You're in big trouble" She informed them unhappily as the girls comes out. "Big, big trouble. With Ymbrynes."

Noor swallowed, flinching as Miss Peregrine came from behind, taking hold of her arm. On the other side, Emma looked as miserable.

"You children always have to get yourself in trouble" She sighed, obviously both angry and exhausted. "Well, we obviously will need to deal with the lot of you"

And so, Miss Peregrine signaled to Miss Glassbill, and the began to push them down the corridor, away from their bedrooms.

At that moment, Noor felt afraid. More afraid than she had since their last encounter with the wights. She knew they had made some mistakes, but the consequences seemed far worse than their actual actions.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The other half! Now, finally, we'll find out a bit more about Miss Wren... also I've realized many of the Ymbrynes are ridicoulesly gay. So that might bleed into this story at some point. Sorry not sorry.

"In there" 

They're finally dropped off at the end of a dark corridor. It's just Miss Glassbill now, Miss Peregrine having left the group several corridors earlier to do something else.

Much like when she showed them the showers, she turns around and walks away when she had given them their instructions. She doesn't look back, and in a few moments she is out of sight.

Then, they're all alone.

"What do we do now?" Emma is first to ask the question, rubbing her hands together so hard that sparks fly.

"Go inside?" Jacob suggests, looking nervously at the door in front of them. Light sips out from under it, making it clear that someone is in there waiting.

Noone says anything to the contrary. Instead, they just stand and wait, fruitlessly trying to find another solution when they all know the truth: there is none.

Finally, Noor is the one that actually pushes the door open, letting it swing to the left on its hinges as they walk inside to whatever may come.

A woman in her mid-30s sits waiting for them in a chair in front of an electric fireplace. One of her eyes is swollen shut, and a miserable frown rests on her lips. 

Seeing the way she observed them with her good eye, Noor cringed, realizing that the painful-looking swelling was likely the fault of Hugh's bees.

"Bronwyn!" Hugh spots the younger girl quietly snoozing on the sofa next to the Ymbryne, and rushes up to her. "Why is she here?" He asks the Ymbryne as he inspects his little sister. 

The Ymbryne sighed. "She fell asleep, so we let her." She told him. "Sit down, and I will explain. Por favour" She requested, her hands twisting nervously in her lap.

Something in her voice makes them obey. Leaving Bronwyn to sleep in peace, they squeeze together on the other couch, pushing and shoving for a little bit before they're all somewhat comfortable.

"Miss Wren is alive" The Ymbryne begins softly, clearly sensing that to be most important. "But she is in critical condition. She suffered injury both on account of her spirit animals and to her own physical form. Miss Wagtail and I were already scheduled to come, but were called in urgently as Miss Wren's condition started to decline." The woman explained

"Questions? Otras?" 

Emma stuck up a hand, somehow managing to control herself enough to wait before she spoke.

"Sì?" The woman nodded, allowing her to speak and share what she was thinking.

"What do you mean you were coming either way?" Emma asked, rubbing her hands together again. "Coming here for what?"

"For Miss Glassbill. Another Ymbryne?" The young Ymbryne explained sweetly, flinching a little as she saw the sparks flying between Emma's hands.

"Miss Wren wanted our help to explore if there was anything we - or they - could do to further her recovery. She's concerned about the lingering effects of the wights' experiments." She continued.

Now, Hugh's hand shot into the air. Unlike Emma, he didn't wait for permission to speak. "Why you? What can you do that they don't?" He asked.

The woman smiled patiently. "We've studied the effects of having pieces of your soul removed on many children with many different peculiarities. Your Ymbryne will be our first client of our own kind, but Miss Wagtail believed there are some techniques we could try on her which has not previously been considered."

The children sat quite for a while after that, all of them trying to digest the information that had been offered to them. It seemed to make sense, but at the same time it seemed almost too simple to believe.

Eventually, the silence was broken when a ghastly cry tore through the room. It was the same twisted bird's cry they had heard earlier, only now it seemed so much closer and more horrific. It bounced off the walls of the study, filling the heads and hearts with the image of someone in agony.

Hugh whimpered, covering his ears and squeezing his eyes shut to try and boock it out.

Emma, seeing that Brownwyn had started to stir from the noise, ran across the room to comfort her when she came too.

"What is that?!" Jacob, feeling slightly panicked by the chaos around him, asked, trying to understand what he was hearing.

Noor swallowed hard, tensing in the seat next to him. She didn't need to hear what the Ymbryne had said next to know the answer.

"That is Miss Wren"


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter. It's a sort of inbetween, leading us on to the next stage of the fic. Enjoy!

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Noor asked, concerned. After a few minutes the sounds had died down, but the revelation that it was Miss Wren making them still felt heavy.

"You could try and find her dog, Miss Pradesh. Why don't you take Miss Bloom with you to go look for him?"

Miss Bunting's voice surprised all of them, a previously unnoticed door opening for the old lady to peek her head out. 

Emma didn't waste a minute. Like a well-trained dog herself, she jumps to attention, getting up from the sofa and looking at Noor expectingely.

"Now?" Noor asks, surprised and confused.

"What do the rest of us do?" Bronwyn asked, sitting abandoned on the couch. "Sit here and listen to...that?"

Miss Bunting shook her head, coming into the room and closing the door behind her. Her face was soft and kind, but there was a look of worry etched into it. It made Noor feeling acutely uncomfortable, her hair standing on edge.

"You and Miss Apiston should go back to sleep, Miss Bruntley. It's not time for you to be awake. It's Alma wishes." She said softly, before then turning to Jacob and the other Ymbryne. "Mr Portman, Miss Hoopoe, I'd like for you to please come with me.."

Though her demeanor is kind and gentle, her words leave no room for argument. It was all perfectly cut and coordinated, and by the way she stood and waited, she expected no resistance. A sort of inside out rendition of the sharper Miss Avocet, who always showed her dangerous sides first.

It took a second for the orders to really sink in. 

Slowly, the Ymbryne - Miss Hoopoe - got up from the armchair and moved over to Miss Bunting. Jacob followed in her lead, not quite wanting to follow the Ymbrynes commands but neither seeing a way out of it.

"Let's just leave" Emma impatiently took hold of Noor's arms, dragging her towards the door where they'd come from. "Let's go find Addisson."


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a fluffy and angsty little inbetween before the next big chapter.

Hugh and Bronwyn stood abandoned in the living room, each of them staring blankly at one of the doors where the rest of their friends had gone.

Finally, Hugh shifts his gaze to Bronwyn. "Are you okay?" He asks meekly, genuinely worried for the other girl.

"Miss Wren…" Bronwyn began, frowning as she became emotional thinking about it. "It's bad. Really, really bad." She says, her voice breaking.

Hugh swallowed. "But she's with the other birds. They can fix this!" He said hopefully, approaching her and taking her hands. "You have to believe in the birds Bronwyn"

Bronwyn nodded, swallowing back tears. "The birds can fix this" She repeated. Then, she launched at Hugh, hugging him tight. "Miss Peregrine will help her." 

Hugh hugged her back, wondering but not asking what she had seen when she was with the Ymbrynes. Whatever it was, it had her shaken.

"Yeah. Miss P will fix it"


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really not sure where I'm going with this fanfic but we're in for the goddamn ling run, people. I got 2 more chapters in planning/making, and we're not close to the conclusion.
> 
> Also, if this chapter leave any doubt, Miss Bunting and Avocet are lesbian. For eachother. A lot.

"Mister Portman, this way please." 

They've reached a split in the long, dimly lit corridor that they've been following. Miss Bunting is going one way, Miss Hoopoe the other. The former calls him over, while the other continues on her merry way. After some time to consider his options, he gives in and follows Miss Bunting.

"Where is she going?" He asks her as they leave the other Ymbryne behind, the corridor around them getting darker. He can barely see anything, and it frightens him a little.

"She has to make more medication for Balenciaga." Miss Bunting says, her voice short and clipped. "We're barely keeping her controlled as it is...you heard the noises she makes!" Miss Bunting shuddered, her eyes far away. Clearly she was speaking without thinking - there was no way a 'child' like Jacob would get to know this otherwise. "We're not sure what form she is in anymore...her mind seems to have turned to her bird side, but her form remains human."

Jacob shuddered too. It sounded gruesome, and the twisted screams made much more sense now than before. "What do you need me for?" He asked, confused. 

Miss Bunting hesitated. She swallowed, hard. Whatever she was about to say, it did not come easy. 

"To look for hollow residue"

Miss Avocet steps out of the darkness, a shadow suddenly coming to life. Slowly, she steps forward, a slender hand landing on Miss Buting's arm and squeezing it. "It's okay Rosemary. Balenciaga will pull through" She whispers softly, her lips brushing the other woman's forehead.

Jake quickly turned his head the other way. Her behaviour was loving and affectionate, and he knew it was not for his eyes to see. He had met her many times, and never, had she acted this way. 

"Don't be a stranger, Miss Portman. If not for you and Miss Bloom we would be way worse than we are now" Miss Avocet speaks again after a few moments, calling his attention.

When he turns around, he can't but stare at her with confusion. He doesn't understand, not one bit. "What did I do?"

"You found Miss Wren. Without you, who knows how long it would've taken." She explained simply. "And as it's been shown, her condition is very much a matter of time, thus our thanks for so quickly finding her." 

Miss Bunting opens a door, and a strong light spills out in the corridor. In the light, he sees things he did not before - most of all, her sees Miss Avocet. 

She looks exhausted. Deep, dark creaveses around the eyes hollow out the already bony face, and her hands tremble while resting at her sides.

Miss Bunting seems to see it too, a concerned look on her face. "Why don't you go and rest, Esmeralda?" She suggested, gently wrapping her arm around Miss Avocet's back. "You're needed here right now." 

"I know what to do" Jacob supplied quietly, hoping he might be helping.

Miss Avocet hesitated, but finally she sighed. Turning to give Miss Bunting a kiss on the cheek, she nodded. 

Miss Bunting gave her a kiss back, tender and lingering, and then Miss Avocet was gone, leaving the two of them alone. 

"This way" She shows him into the room, and after some hesitation, he once more follows her.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaand this is basically just filler. Sorry not sorry. Gonna make the plot move in the next one.

The room was tiny, most of it taken up by a table. On the table lay Miss Wren, arms and legs tied down with thick leather straps, though she seemed currently asleep or unconscious, her head propped up by a thick white pillow. Beads of sweat glistened on her brow, and the skin of her arms were decorated with bruises and scratches. Clearly, she was not tied down for nothing.

The remaining space in the room was filled up by chairs with thick wooden frames, ten of them on each side of the table and four at the end. Most were vacant, but a few were occupied by Ymbrynes - all of them seemingly deep asleep. Miss Peregrine sat curled up in one right next to Jacob, Miss Cuckoo and Miss Babax leaning on one another as they occupied two in the far corner of the room.

Miss Bunting sighed gently as she, too, took in what he saw. "You need to look for hollow residue" She instructed Jacob. "We tried to wash ourselves off, and her. But we can't see it so we can't see if we missed any." She explained. 

Jacob sighed, rolling her eyes and hoping she didn't see. He really didn't understand why this was so important, but knew better than to protest. Like a good drug dog, he looked around the room, trying to let his nose lead him along with his eyes. 

"Miss Babax. On her temple." He explained as he spotted the first black spot of foul-smelling liquid, pointing to the sleeping woman. Then, he turned to Miss Peregrine. "On her hand" He continued. It wasn't any large quantities, he could barely even smell it, but he still pointed it out. "You have a little on your neck" He finished, watching as she immediately ran over to a bowl of water in the corner to clean it.

He stands there, awkwardly watching as she frantically tries to scrub it all off her neck, sometimes giving pointers to make sure she gets rid of it all.

"Why does it matter?"

When she's finished, he poses his question. He crosses his arms and tries to take an authoritative stance, hoping she'll be honest. 

"Miss Wren gets agitated around us at times, for no apparent reason. Miss Wagtail suggested she might instinctively sense the hollow residue, if there was any." Miss Peregrine awake, looking at Jacob over the edge of her glasses as she explains what is happening. "Miss Wren has always been our expert in dealing with the bird side of our mind...without her we had to get extra help." She explained further.

Jacob nodded. It made sense, at least. If Miss Wren could smell any of what he smelled, she was sure to notice the hollow odor that filled the room.

"Is that what the other Ymbrynes are for?" He continues to ask, wanting to know more. "To help Miss Wren...but they said they came for Miss Glassbill."

Miss Peregrine nodded, despite a sharp eye from Miss Bunting. "We might as well be honest Rosemary" She sighed, before turning back to him. "They are experts in peculiars who've had pieces of their souls removed. Miss Wren asked them to examine Miss Glassbill's condition. However, healing in general...would be their field. So Miss Glassbill ordered for them to come early to care for Miss Wren instead."

Listening to the story, Miss Bunting took one of the empty seats, not saying anything else. She didn't seem entirely satisfied with Miss Peregrine's policy of honesty, but neither was she protesting.

"Oh no" Miss Peregrine rose as Miss Bunting sat, chasing her back out of the chair. "You're going straight back to Esmeralda!" She ordered her sternly. "Me and Jacob will stay here and stay awake. Won't we?"

Jacob nodded. "Yes Miss." First at that moment, he truly realized what was happening in that room.  _ He was being used _ . He was a pawn in a game that the Ymbrynes played with each other, constantly repositioned to be of use to one, going against another. And while he didn't mind so much in this instance, it was important to remember.

Miss Bunting sighed, looking even more disgruntled than before. "Just a few hours, okay?" She negotiated with Miss Peregrine. "Please Alma."

"We'll get you when you're need" Miss Peregrine countered sternly, leading the older woman to the door. "Go to your woman, and sleep." She said, her voice suddenly very soft. "You deserve it, Rosemary. And you both need it."

This kind confession finally seemed to sway the elderly Ymbryne. Quietly, she agreed, slipping out the door.

"So I'm staying here?" As Miss Bunting goes, Jacob dares to ask. "Or was that just for her? A lie." He questioned nervously. 

"She needed rest. She can't last like this." Miss Peregrine replied, putting him in one of the empty seats and wrapping him up in a blanket that she produced from somewhere. "I regret having to do things this way, but I think you understand. Rest if you can Mr. Portman."

"Yes Miss." Jacob agreed, leaning back and putting his head against the wall. After having gotten out of bed in the middle of the night, he was more than ready to go back to sleep.

"Good night Jacob" Miss Peregrine whispered, a soft hand touching his cheek.

"Night" Jacob whispered back, getting comfortable. "Alma."


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new chapter! Yay! 
> 
> Also I added a ship! Miss Wren/Miss Glassbill is a thing now lol. And Addisson is a good boy!

"So, we're looking for a dog? With a tie?" Noor asked, confused. 

"Not just any dog, a peculiar dog. His talent is that he can talk and is most intellectual." Emma explained.

Noor nodded. "So animals can be peculiar too? Cool." She said, fascinated to learn this new information. "But why do we need to find him? How does he help Miss Wren."

"Well, he is Miss Wren's pet. Sort of? Like he's like a mini human. In dog form. That she looks after." Emma tried to explain it, finding it awkward as she struggled for words. "She cares about him a lot. And he loves her. So that's why we're getting him."

"Okay" Noor nodded. "One emotional support dog it is." She confirmed. 

Emma laughed, but nodded. "He'll probably be somewhere warm. He's a comfortable dog...so I imagine he might be in the kitchen, if not in the bookroom."

They walked on in comfortable silence, not speaking as they sneaked through the empty corridors through the dark hallways.

It was quiet, uninterrupted - until suddenly it wasn't.

A light turned under the door next to them, and the sound of barking and growling could be heard, low and aggressive. Clearly, the animal inside was not happy.

Noor turned to stare at Emma, wondering if she thought the same as her. "How many dogs are there in this house?"

"I don't know." Emma replied, slowly moving towards the door, getting in between it and Noor. 

"Do any other Ymbrynes have dogs? That you know." Noor rephrased her question, almost jumping in the air at a particularly sharp bark.

"No, it's Miss Wren's…"

"Addisson quiet! Please! You're going to wake everyone!" 

The voice of the woman joined the sound of the barking dog, a shadow visible in the light under the door.

"Miss Glassbill!" The colour seemed to drain from Emma's face as she heard the voice, realizing who else was there.

Noor didn't hesitate at that moment, running up to the door and pushing it open, tumbling out on the other side and falling over.

"Children!"

Miss Glassbill's voice was shrill and frightened, her eyes wide as she watched Noor falling in through the door. 

Noor, however, had little time to recover as she saw the dog - a stocky boxer-type dog - came running towards her, barking wildly. She wanted to scream, to try to move, anything to protect herself.

But she was frozen. She just sat on her hands and knees, watching as the dog charged without being able to do anything about it at all.

Just as the dog was about to come upon her, biting and snapping it's powerful jaws, a pair of long legs stepped in front of Noor. 

"Addisson, don't!" Emma and Miss Glassbill yelled in unison, but the dog didn't actually stop until it came face to face with Emma's flaming hands 

As he felt the scorching warmth of the flames licking its fur, Addisson backed off in fear and whimpered as he went.

Behind him, Miss Glassbill caught onto a leash that was attached to his thick leather collar, pulling at it hard enough to get the dog to sit down by his feet. Though he seemed unhappy to be treated that way, his eyes rested squarely on Emma's flaming hands.

"Thank you" Noor told Emma, quickly getting back on her feet. "You saved me."

"Don't be ridiculous." She replied, glancing over at Noor. "Addisson would never hurt anyone." Her nervous face, however, didn't sell the lie. 

Miss Glassbill sighed, hands tight on the leash. "I wouldn't be so sure. He's been...I just… oh, he won't talk!" The dog barked, and she pulled at the leash again. 

"But why…?" Slowly, Emma got down on all four, creeping towards Addisson. "What's going on with you?"

The dog drew back, tugging wildly at it's leash as Emma reached out a still-smoking hand, but settled a smidge as he realized he would not be burnt by her touch.

"There, there. It's okay Addisson." Emma whispered sweetly. "I know you're scared. But if you calm down, we can take you to see Miss Wren." She said quietly, despite knowing she should not be making any such promises. 

Finally, Emma's words seemed to reach Addisson, and he shook his head, staring at her with big eyes. 

"Miss Wren?" He said, his voice raspy. "I can see Balenciaga?" His tail started to wag, a sign of his improved mood at this prospect.

A look of relief watched over Miss Glassbill's face, and she dropped down on her knees as well, pulling the dog into a hug.

"Hi Cathy" He said softly, licking up her cheek fondly. 

Miss Glassbill broke down crying, holding the dog tight and supporting herself on him. It was the second time that day that Noor had seen the Ymbryne so upset, and she got a strong sense it was not the norm - especially as Emma seemed shocked by the development.

"They...they aren't acting right." Finally, Miss Glassbill recovers somewhat, dragging herself up on her feet and settling on the bed instead. "T...the be, bea...r. Bears. Too." She explained, her stuttering, faltering voice struggling to talk for her. "They feel her slipping." She said, fresh tears in her eyes.

"Slipping?" Emma was chalk white now, frightened by the way the Ymbryne talked. "She's dying?"

Miss Glassbill shook her head, but did not otherwise reply.

"Em...we should go." Noor suggested quietly, placing a hand on her shoulder. The nickname was accidental - she had thought it many times, but never actually used it. "Us and Addisson."

The dog nodded in agreeance. Quietly he went up to Miss Glassbill and gave her another comforting lick, allowing her to hug him before he seemed satisfied to have done his part.

Haunted by the sound of the Ymbryne crying,the two girls - plus one peculiar dog - headed back out into the night black corridors.

  
  
  



	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gosh how are we at chapter 11?!

By the time Emma and Noor make it back to the library, they don't need any additional help to find where Miss Wren is being kept. The commotion can be heard at a distance, an even worse mayhem meeting them as they arrive.

The Ymbryne lay strapped down on a solid oak table, desperately trying to break free even as she must surely be hurting herself. Her thin wrists and ankles strain against the leather, her hands forming claws as she tries to scratch herself. Her skin is decorated in cuts and dark bruises already, and when she crie and protests bird noises leave her throat.

Around her, a handful of Ymbrynes moved about, all of them led by a very elderly woman who spoke in a foreign language, giving instructions to the younger, bee-stung woman they had met earlier. In turn, she translated as fast as her mouth would go to her remaining sisters.

"Get her to drink all of it!" She warns them as Miss Peregrine tries to force it down her sister's throat, Miss Babax holding her head with steady hands. The other four people in the room were all forced to keep her body pushed against the table. The elderly lady watched the process in detail, concerned. "She need all of it." 

Emma and Noor stayed clinging to the wall, realizing that now was not the time for them to do anything. Addisson, however, had no such reservations, and bravely trotted up to the table.

"What is she doing?!" He exclaimed, demanding attention.

"Schh, we're caring for her." Miss Babax said seriously.

"How bad is it?"Addissin asked, trying to climb up on the table only to be pushed back down by Miss Babax.

"Stop!" The Ymbryne ordered loudly, bending down to pick up the big dog. "You stupid dog, I know you worry but please, stay away!" Miss Babax informed the dog, going to the back of the room, only to find another two visitors watching her. "She's mentally stuck as a bird. You can't talk to her."

"That is horrible!" Addisson cried, continuing to squirm all the way until he was dropped down next to Emma and Noor, seemingly resigning to his faith. "We can't see her." He said, grumpy.

"Sorry. But, uh, we were told by Miss Bunting. To find Addison." Noor explained, talking for Emma, who seemed too shocked to be addressed by an Ymbryne. The woman before her was the first truly dark skinned Ymbryne she had seen, wearing a darker complexion than Miss Cuckoo's copper skin, and she was just slightly in awe. "Where are you from?" She exclaimed, not thinking fast enough to stop herself.

Miss Babax choked on her own laughter, surprised. "Jamaica." She said, her eyes lighting up with excitement. "Ymbrynes exist in as good as every land on this Earth."

She stood back up, approaching Noor and gently stroking the side of her face. "You're different, but you are perfectly peculiar." She said softly. "There are Ymbrynes like you."

Noor was stunned, shocked that the other women read her like a book. She wanted to say something in reply - to thank her, but all words died out as the cacophony of noise and shouts behind them suddenly silenced, the whole room simultaneously freezing up.

Miss Wren had passed out on the table. Her screams had stopped and all the tension left her seizing muscles. Perfectly unconscious.

The old Ymbryne exhaled. "Her mind will be back when she wakes." She said, speaking an understandable tongue for the first time. "Gracias por los pájaros." She prayed in her strange native tongue.

The other Ymbrynes turned to the younger women, who blushed. "Thank you to the bird. Praise the birds." She translated quickly. "The treatment was Hopefully successful. We'll know when she wakes up." She then explained further.

Hearing this, Addisson took it as a sign, rushing back to Miss Wren and climbing up on the table to lie on her legs. "I will be there when she wakes up!" He announced, glaring at Miss Babax.

The other Ymbrynes moved away, not trying to argue with him. Rolled eyes and quiet sighs was the only sign that they had tried to stop him before. 

Miss Babax sighed, and was about to say something else, but Miss peregrine stopped her. "Let him be, Charlie. It's not worth fighting over." Then, she turned to Emma and Noor. "Off to bed, the lot of you!"

"What about Jacob?" Emma argued, pointing to the boy asleep in a chair across the room. "Why is he not in bed?" She asked. "Abd what about Miss Wren."

"Miss Wren is unconscious and Mr. Portman is sleeping, Miss Bloom. Go to sleep." Miss Peregrine answered sharply, directing both peculiar children towards the door. There was a sense of tension in her words.

Noor looked back at Miss Babax, not wanting to leave this Ymbryne quite yet. When she looked into her eyes she felt understood, and seen, in a new way.

She wanted to know more about her.

"Alma wait!" Suddenly, Miss Babax rushed forward and took Noor by the arm. "I need to talk to Miss Pradesh." She saaid, and when she looked down at Noor she though she could sew the Ymbryne's soul - she felt the  _ exact  _ same way. "I promise I'll be quick, and I'll see her to bed myself." 

Miss Peregrine looked shocked, but then relaxed, obviously too tired to argue the matter. "Fine. Do what you must, but don't go on too long. I'll see Miss Bloom to bed." She took Emma by the arm, leading her away.

Noor turned back to Miss Babax. "Thank you Miss." She said, a little embarrassed.

Miss Babax smiled. "Call me Charlie, Noor." 

Noor nodded, shining like a sun. "Thank you, Charlie."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> About the end...99% of the miss p cast is whiter than tooth paste. So am I, so I won't dig too deep into it, but I felt I wanted some sharing with Noor and Miss Babax.


End file.
